We learned in the ICJHR that the Supreme Federal Court of the UAE postponed the hearing of the prominent human rights activist Ahmed Mansour to December 31, 2018 because of Ahmed's absence from attending for reasons unknown to us at present. Human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor has been held in solitary confinement inside Al Wathba Prison since his arrest in March 2017. Following his appeal on May 29, 2018, two hearings were held before the Federal Supreme Court. The first hearing took place on Monday December 17, 2018 and the second one on December 24, 2018. The court didn’t render its ruling yet concerning the appeal.

Earlier this year, the Federal Appeal Court sentenced Ahmed Mansoor to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of one million dirhams. The judge also ordered the confiscation of all his communication devices and administrative control for three years. Moreover, the Technical Crimes Prosecution convicted him because of his activities on social medias that were deemed by the Emirati State as “inciting to sedition and sectarianism” and “damaging the State reputation”, as stated by the Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 on Cyber-Crimes.

Ahmed Mansoor was arrested on March 20, 2017 for his activities as a human rights defender and was transferred to a secret detention center. On March 29, the UAE authorities disclosed his whereabouts following an urgent statement issued by the UN rapporteurs, denouncing the serious human rights violations against Ahmed Mansoor and demanding his immediate release.

Human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor was denied the right to choose his own layer. Instead, a lawyer was appointed to defend him before the Federal Supreme Court of Abu Dhabi.

On October 4, 2018, the European Parliament ratified a decision calling for the release of Ahmed Mansoor and enumerating a series of significant human rights violations committed against him.

The ICJHR calls upon the UAE government to:

Immediately release Ahmed Mansoor and grant him the right to freedom of expression and the right to defend victims of human rights violations.

Stop the solitary confinement of Ahmed Mansoor in Al-Wathba prison and give him the right to choose a lawyer and to judicial appeal.